Feasibility of sensor-based technology for monitoring health in developing countries - cost analysis and user perception aspects

Understanding the financial burden of chronic diseases in developing regions still remains an important economical factor which influences the successful implementation of sensor based applications for continuous monitoring of chronic conditions. Our research focused on a comparison of literature-based data with real costs of the management and treatment of chronic diseases in a developing country, and we are using Kosovo as an example here. The results reveal that the actual living costs exceed the minimum expenses that chronic diseases impose. Following the potential of a positive economic impact of sensor based platforms for monitoring chronic conditions, we further examined the users perception of digital technology. The purpose of this paper is to present the varying cost levels of treating chronic diseases, identify the users concerns and requirements towards digital technology and discuss issues and challenges that the application of sensor based platforms imply in low and middle income countries

Sensor-based platforms for remote management of chronic diseases in developing regions: A qualitative approach examining the perspectives of healthcare professionals

The continuous monitoring of chronic diseases serves as one of the cornerstones in the efforts to improve the quality of life of patients and maintain the healthcare services provided to them. This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the perspectives of healthcare professionals on using sensor-based networks (SBN) used for remote and continuous monitoring of patients with chronic illness in Kosovo, a developing country. A qualitative research method was used to interview 26 healthcare professionals. The study results demonstrate the positive attitudes of participants to using SBN, and considers their concerns on the impact of these platforms on the patient’s life, the number of visits in the medical centre, data privacy concerning interactions between patients and their medical personnel and the costs of the platform. Further to that, the study makes an important contribution to knowledge by identifying the challenges and drawbacks of these platforms and provides recommendations for system designers

Architecting the IoT Paradigm: A Middleware for Autonomous Distributed Sensor Networks

Actualizing Internet of Things undoubtedly constitutes a major challenge of modern computing and is a promising next step in realizing the unification of all seamlessly interacting entities, either human users or participating machines, under a shared, coherent architecture. While it has now become common belief that the related solutions should be based on compatible network infrastructure employing widely accepted communication schemes, the specifics of the intermediate system that would act as global interface for all involved “things” are yet to be determined. A rising trend to define such machine-based entities is through cyber-physical systems, in terms of collaborating elements with physical input and output. Certainly, sensor networks constitute the most representative realization of such systems. Taking these issues and opportunities under consideration, this work proposes a bioinspired distributed architecture for an Internet of Things that exhibits self-organization properties to enable efficient interaction between entities modeled as cyber-physical systems, mainly focusing on sensor networks. Furthermore, a middleware has been implemented according to the proposed architecture, which serves the role of the backbone of this network as a multiagent and autonomous distributed system. The evaluation results demonstrate the self-optimization properties of the introduced scheme and indicate global network convergence

Vårdstudenters upplevelser av simulering : En litteraturstudie

Sammandrag: Syftet med denna litteraturstudie är att undersöka hurudana upplevelser/erfarenheter vårdstudenter har av simulering. Centrala frågeställningar i studien är följande; 1.) Framkommer det i studenternas upplevelser hämmande faktorer som påverkar inlärningen? 2). Förekom det i studenternas upplevelser något som var oförutsett? Tanken är att kunna belysa alla upplevelser, även de som upplevs av en minoritet. Detta för att om möjligt kunna stödja vidare forskning inom ämnet. Studien är en kvalitativ litteraturstudie, där materialet består att tolv forskningsartiklar som är publicerade under åren 2004-2013. Artiklarna är valda enligt följande kriterier: de skall svara på syftet eller endera av frågeställningarna, samt de skall även kunna tillämpas inom våra förhållanden. Resultatet bildade en helhet med kategorier som innefattade; Allmänna upplevelser, främjande aspekter och hämmande aspekter. Resultatet var föga överraskande; majoriteten av studenterna hade positiva upplevelser som främjar deras inlärning samt även patientsäkerheteten. Ett litet antal upplevde stress och ångest under simuleringssessionen. Patientsäkerheten har fungerat som studiens teoretiska perspektiv. Eftersom patientsäkerheten i sig är väldigt komplex har tonvikten satts på patientsäkerhetskulturen inom vårdutbildningen.Abstract: The aim with this literature study is to research what kind of experiences/perceptions nursing students have from simulation. Key issues in the study are the following; 1.) Does it in the students experiences arise inhibiting factors that affect the learning? 2). Does there arise any unexpected experiences among the students? In this study my aim is to illuminate all experiences, even if only a minority did experience them. This is done so it supports further research in the subject. The study is a qualitative literature study, where the material consists of twelve research articles that are published during 2004-2013. The articles are chosen during the following criteria’s: they will answer the purpose or one of the questions, and it also should be possible to apply them in our conditions. The results formed a whole with categories including; General experiences, promotion aspects and inhibitory aspects. The result was unsurprising; the majority of the students had a positive experience that improves their learning skills and patient safety. A small group of people experienced stress and anxiety during the simulation process. Patient safety has served as the study’s theoretical perspective. Because patient safety is very complex the emphasis have been put on patient safety culture in the nursing education

Wireless Monitoring Systems for Enhancing National Health Services in Developing Regions.

Sensor based applications and Wireless Technologies introduce sophisticated health methods, especially for patients who need continuous monitoring. Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) applied in medical systems provide wireless wearable sensor’s structured architecture, which uses elements of remotely observance and monitoring of home-based patient rehabilitation. The possibility of transmitting and receiving remotely and continuously signals leads to constant monitoring of patient’s vital parameters and real-time exchange of information. Considering Republic of Kosovo as a developing country, this application is considered to provide many benefits. As thought, the system will offer constant monitoring, early detection and prevention of abnormal conditions which are caused from last war or even natural conditions. Current research will present thoroughly examined and observed WBAN related factors which are used for enhancing e-healthcare. Moreover, during our future research we plan t o analyze all existing architectures in order to conclude on and propose a unique schema that can be applied on developing regions, like Kosovo, and be beneficial